Impossible Tasks
by penandpaper67
Summary: Albus Dumbledore has been charged with the task of ridding the wizarding world of Gellert Grindelwald and his army. Along with his old friend Edward Elric and an enthusiastic team of researchers, he sets off on what seems to be an impossible task.
1. Chapter 1: The Summons

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a crossover! Yay! I've been wanting to do something with FMA for a while, so I'm really glad that I finally wrote this out. Much will be explained in the next few chapters (once they're fully written), but just for your info: plotwise, the FMA portion is based off the anime and takes place 22 years after CoS. So yes, Ed is 40. And for those of you who can't do math (or don't know their European history), that means it's 1945. Hmmm, that year rings a bell... Oh, and one more thing. I do not own. Well, FMA or HP, that is...**

_Chapter One: The Summons_

A tawny owl had arrived at his office that morning. He hadn't particularly wanted to open it, for he already had a pretty sound theory as to what it contained. The Ministry always came to him when it was in trouble, and this time the dilemma was dire. Gridelwald had been acting up again, and of course it was up to Albus Dumbledore to "save the day." Albus knew he had been putting off acting against his former friend for far too long. He just couldn't bring himself to believe what Gellert had become. He used this disbelief as an excuse to procrastinate. But he couldn't get away from it anymore; he'd actually have to do away with Gellert this time.

He took the letter in his steady hands and stared at it for a moment. It had just barely managed to reach him at Hogwarts. He was planning to leave in the next hour or so for his summer home in Godric's Hollow; he just had a bit of packing left. The golden lettering on the dark gray of the envelope spakled a bit in the sun shining through the office window, spelling out his name with great curly-cues and flourishes. This was clearly a private letter, as the Ministry had wanted it delivered to his office, not the Great Hall with the rest of the post that morning. He slid his fingers under the darkly stained parchment of the envelope and cautiously removed its contents. The letter inside was neatly written and concise. If one was being picky, it could be termed "blunt." Albus read it a couple of times over to make sure he got the message right.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

_It has come to our attention that you may have some information concerning the Dark Wizard Grindelwald. We request that you join our research teach immediately. Please meet us at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at precisely 9 o'clock in the morning. The barman will direct you to our meeting room. _

_Sincerely,  
__Mason Trevor  
__Augusta Longbottom  
__Edward Elric  
__Minerva McGonagall  
__Elsa Lee  
__Renault Potter_

Albus recognized all of the names. Most of them had been students at Hogwarts in the last five years. Only one was much older, and he wasn't even a proper wizard! Dumbledore stopped for a moment and reminisced about his encounters with the man. _Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist_, he thought. _Well at least he might be of some use in this war, with his alternative use of magic. The rest of them won't achieve much of anything though…_ he considered with a grimace. The lot of them had less than fifty years experience; Albus alone could top that. It seemed that they really did need him to help out. The Ministry had been relying on foreign Wizarding government systems up until now to deal with Grindelwald; now they were finally becoming serious, realizing that they had to intervene. Albus crumpled the letter and threw it into the fire. It was about time he gave up his fears concerning Grindelwald and took matters into his own capable hands.

**A/N: So, did you like it (or hate it)? Like I said, a lot more is coming in the next couple of chapters (like the FMA part of things). This is more of an intro than anything else, so yeah... Let me know what you think and review!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Blending of Two Worlds

**A/N: So this one's a bit longer and starts to explain some things. More will be told in the next chapter as Dumbledore keeps flashbacking (although they're really not his flashbacks, as I'm writing them in an omniscient point of view).**

_Chapter Two: The Blending of Two Worlds_

Albus Dumbledore appeared suddenly outside of the Leaky Cauldron, staring up at the tiny, grubby building through misty eyes. So many things had happened here in his lifetime, but his keen mind alighted on one moment in particular, twenty years ago…

_1925, The Leaky Cauldron_

Two boys were walking along the London streets arguing among themselves. Well, boys might be an inaccurate term. One was certainly a man, a bit short for his age, but still clearly at least eighteen. In fact, he was twenty. His long blond ponytail matched his sparkling golden eyes which were commonly alight with the fire that pulsed within them now. His companion fit the "boy" category much better. He was in his early teens, with light brown hair and gray-ish eyes. The two were clearly brothers, as they looked, moved, and acted extremely similarly. At that moment, they were caught up in an argument.

"But brother – " whined the younger one.

"Stop it, Alphonse," commanded the older one with authority. "There's nothing – absolutely nothing – we can do." He turned around with a slightly downcast look on his face, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and catching hold of his brother's sleeve. "Al, what is that place?"

The building he indicated was definitely a pub of some sort. It was insignificant, old-looking, and had a dirty sort of feel to it, as if the outside was rarely cared for. And yet the brothers felt drawn to it for some reason. The sign hanging above the entrance declared the name of the place was "The Leaky Cauldron."

"Cauldron?" queried Alphonse. "Ed, do you think it means the type of cauldrons witches and wizards use?"

"What are you talking about, Al? Witches and wizards aren't real. No, maybe it's a pub with a magic theme or something. I'll ask this guy up here," he said pointing to the man entering the bar at that moment. Edward grabbed hold of his long suit sleeve. "Excuse me, sir," he said. "What exactly is this place?"

"Hmm, you don't know?" he said, with a bit of a sparkle in his blue eyes. His auburn hair was long, past his shoulders and he stood a good foot taller than Ed. "The Leaky Cauldron, it's a famous magical hot spot in Britain. You boys look like foreigners. Come on in, I'll buy you a drink. I've got some time off. My name's Albus Dumbledore, by the way." He continued into the building, until Edward's confused reply brought him up short.

"Did you say 'magical'? But there's no such thing as magic!"

Albus looked incredulous and stared curiously around at the teenage boys. "You're telling me you can see this place and you don't… My God. Well come in, and I guess I'll explain a bit."

Ed shot a wary look at Al; Al shrugged, and the brothers followed Dumbledore into the Leaky Cauldron.

_1945, The Leaky Cauldron_

Albus shook his head, hardly believing that so much time had gone by. _Twenty years…_ he thought curiously. _We've changed so much. I'm close to being Headmaster of Hogwarts now!_ He chuckled a bit, pushing the door open. He sighted Tom the barman, giving him a toothy smile and getting back a full-out grin. "You'll be wanting Room 17, Albus, just up the stairs and around the corner. Knock, I'm sure they'll hear you."

Albus followed Tom's instructions and knocked on the door of Room 17. The door opened, revealing the smiling face of a black haired man. "Hello, Albus," he said, failing to remove the traces of laughter that nearly permanently accompanied his voice. Renault Potter found nearly everything funny. Sure, he could be serious at times, but his philosophy was to laugh a lot, smile more, and enjoy life.

"Good morning, Renault. You're sure looking cheerful today."

"Aren't I always?" giggled Renault. He was in his early twenties, too young to take a job like this sincerely. As were the other four people behind him. Minerva McGonagall and Augusta Longbottom, who had only finished school the year before, were chatting pleasantly across the meeting table. Elsa Lee was sitting in a corner, reading a black covered book with no title, noticing absolutely nothing in the surrounding room, not even the long blond strands of hair that fell casually over her face. Mason Trevor was sitting darkly by the window, keeping predominantly to himself, although he would answer a question posed to him by Minerva or Augusta if necessary. Albus couldn't help but feel a wave of hopelessness wash over him. These were _kids_. And hadn't the letter said that Elric would be here as well?

"I think this other guy they said would meet us here, Edward Elric, is running a bit late. Do you know him, Albus?" Renault asked.

"In fact, I do. Unusual character, Edward. Didn't even know about magic when I met him, and he was twenty then."

Everyone in the room responded loudly at this with various expressions of confusion. Elsa was the only one not to say anything, but she did look up from her book and stared curiously at Dumbledore.

"Indeed, I remember it well…"

_1925, The Leaky Cauldron_

"So you're telling us that you're a wizard, and this whole place is the portal to a part of London that no one else can get to (except for magical folk) where everything you see is based in magic?" Ed pondered aloud, bewildered.

"Basically, yes," said Dumbledore.

"That's bullshit," Edward stated plainly, looking up at Dumbledore stubbornly.

"Really," responded Dumbldore. "And then how am I doing this?" He levitated his spoon and used it to magically stir his bowl of soup.

Edward sighed. He had seen plenty of displays of magic like that since he had walked into the Leaky Cauldron an hour ago. He couldn't really deny the existence of wizards anymore, but this whole Diagon Alley seemed too good to be true.

"Well, I believe him, Ed," injected Al innocently. "Thanks for telling us all this. But what should we do now that we know?"

"I think that both you and Edward have some form of magic in you. It's amazing that it had gone unnoticed for this long. Have you ever done anything when you were feeling upset or particularly emotional that you couldn't explain?" Ed and Al glanced at each other. "I thought so," Albus mistook their telling peek as a confirmation. "I'll take you two to my home for the summer and train you for a bit, so that your magic doesn't backfire on you and make you ill or anything. Maybe you can tell me your story when we get there. For now I just need to make a quick stop in Diagon Alley. In fact you two do too, you need wands."

_1945, The Leaky Cauldron_

The young researchers were still making a great deal of noise when the door to the room flung open. A tall man with long blond hair and shining, sad golden eyes stood before them. His age was indeterminate; he could have been anywhere between twenty-five and forty. His slightly downcast face broke out into a grin as he spied Dumbledore. "Albus!" he cried and held out his hand.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! I have this one pretty well planned out, so I'll probably have the next chapter up in a couple of days.**


	3. Chapter 3: To See an Old Friend

**A/N: I actually like this chapter a lot. While I was writing it, the story started to develop really well in my mind, and I'm really excited to see how the rest will turn out. I'm just letting you know I may not have computer access for a while, so don't expect an update for at least a week, if not two. And thanks for the reviews!**

_Chapter 3: To See an Old Friend_

Albus walked over to Edward and shook his hand. He looked as he did the last time they saw each other, about fifteen years ago. Yes, maybe there was an extra worry line or two on the blonde's face, but other than that he seemed to be exactly the same. Albus was curious, but did no more than give Edward a look before sitting down at the table. Everyone turned towards him. Clearly they expected him to be the leader of the group. _Well, I had anticipated as much_, thought Dumbledore.

"Hello, everyone," he said with a small smile on his face. "Well, I think we should start off by introducing ourselves as it seems we'll be working together for quite a while. You all know who I am, but I'll say it anyway. I'm Albus Dumbledore, Transfiguration professor at Hogwarts." He glanced at Edward, who was sitting next to him.

"Alright, I'm Edward Elric, alchemist extrodinaire. Yes, that's a profession." Ed grinned broadly and gave a short bark of laughter. Mason and Elsa kept straight faces, Albus smirked, Renault laughed outright, and Minerva and Augusta gave flirty giggles. The last two were clearly smitten with the man, having no idea that he was permanently taken. Albus glanced at the two, hoping their infatuation would not be a constant interruption. Edward would never possibly give in to their childish attempts at wooing him.

_1925, Diagon Alley_

"Well now that you've got your wands and pretty much everything you need to learn the basics, we can head over to my house," Albus remarked joyfully as they strolled down the street, laden with parcels galore.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Dumbledore, sir," said Alphonse eagerly. "Brother and I, well we just had a big disappointment – "

"Shut up, Al," grunted Ed. Al shot him a disgruntled look.

"I also apologize for my brother's rudeness, sir," Al was forced to add.

"It's quite alright, Alphonse. First off, you may call me Albus, no more of this Mr. Dumbledore nonsense. Secondly, your brother is perfectly within his rights to be cautious. In fact, he is probably smart not to tell me everything until he trusts me completely." Ed looked at him curiously, surprised at the praise he had just received. Al just appeared annoyed.

"Hmmm… Wait a second. I almost forgot what I came here for. I have to pick up a special order. Why don't you two walk around, and I'll meet you back at the Leaky Cauldron in an hour?" Neither of the boys had any objection to this, so they moseyed off down the street towards the custom broom store. They hadn't ever seen this sort of broom before; not one that could be flown on anyway. This shop was owned by one Leonard Jewkes, and a single broom, shiny with wax, sat on a velvet cushion in the front window. Another spectator stood a couple feet away from them. She was tall, with long, light blond hair, a couple of shades lighter than Edward's gold. She was completely riveted on the brooms and did not seem interested in the boys at all. Alphonse was too preoccupied with the brooms as well and didn't notice his brother next to him, nearly dying of shock.

_It…can't be. It isn't. There were others here, but her, she's…different._ His thoughts were bouncing off the walls of his head, his heart doing flip-flops his body breaking out into a cold sweat. "Al," he managed to squeak out. Alphonse looked up and his eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the girl across from them. "Winry," he whispered. He had gotten used to seeing their old friends and enemies pop up everywhere over the past two years, but sighting their old childhood friend was almost too much. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he quickly wiped them away as Winry looked over.

"Did you guys see this Silver Arrow? It's so completely, wickedly awesome," she seemed oblivious to the Elrics' stares as she rambled on. "I mean, it's nowhere near as fantastic as the stuff my dad and uncles are dreaming up. Haven't seen you guys around much. Are you foreign or something, I'm pretty sure I don't remember you from Hogwarts."

Ed and Al were speechless. They couldn't really think of what to say to a long-lost childhood friend who didn't remember them because she wasn't the same person and was actually from a parallel universe. Al regained his brains first, which was impressive considering Ed lost his a full minute before Al. "I'm Alphonse and he's Edward," he squeaked. "We're brothers, and yeah, we're foreign."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Winny," she said obliviously. Then she realized that Ed was still making a fool of himself and staring at her like she was an alien. "Is something wrong with your brother there, or is his face always like that?" she laughed.

Something registered in Ed's brain then because he finally grasped the fact that Winry (or actually Winny, but Ed still thought of her as Winry) was talking to him and that his friend who he had missed for so long was there and that all he wanted to do was run up to her and give her a hug. Which he did. Then he got poked in the eye with a wand, and Alphonse had to drag him away, apologizing profusely all the while. Edward continued to stare at Winny with large eyes, while she stared back, confused and slightly unnerved.

_1945, The Leaky Cauldron_

"I'm Minerva McGonagall," came the introduction, after all the pointless, heinous giggling had stopped. "It's my first year out of Hogwarts, so this is my first job. Oh, and on the side, I'm training to be an Animagus now that I'm of legal age." The young witch was clearly flaunting her prowess and age in Edward's face.

"Well I'm Augusta Longbottom, and it's also my first year out of Hogwarts. I was in Gryffindor like Minerva," chattered a voice even more flirtatious and annoying than Minerva's.

"I'm Renault Potter," said the slick black-haired man, smoothly inserting his arm around Augusta's shoulders. She quickly shook him off, but he continued, unperturbed. "I'm _five_ years out of Hogwarts and I've been working as a Junior Unspeakable for the past four years."

"Mason Trevor," grunted the dark man from the corner. "I'm from Ravenclaw and I'm three years out of Hogwarts. I don't have a job other than this."

"I'm Elsa Lee," said a breathy, but not ditzy, voice. "I'm also from Ravenclaw, but I'm two years out of Hogwarts. I work as an assistant in Ollivander's."

There it was, the team that was supposed to figure out how to defeat Grindelwald and his unstoppable army. No one actually cared about the mission, that was clear. Dumbledore had his teaching post and various assaults from the Ministry every couple days begging for help with everything from broken toenails to world wars; Edward had his own mission and his own reasons; Minerva and Augusta were too boy-crazy and naïve to truly participate; Renault was a jokester and had a job besides; Mason was too quiet and would never have anything to contribute; Elsa was too caught up in her book world to concentrate on reality. Yet, they were the perfect group for the job and they knew it. Each had their own abilities and could contribute exactly what the others could not.

"So now that that's done with, let's get straight to the point," said Dumbledore. "Grindelwald is at large and we need to stop him. His army of Inferi and Imperiused wizards is overwhelming, not to mention his willing followers. All of the magical ministries of Europe have tried and failed to bring him under control. You all know that is why we were called together. To find something they didn't. To get an alternate solution. We're all going to have to lay our talents and stories on the table – " Ed gave him a look " – so that we know what we're each capable of. Then we'll contribute the straight facts that we all know about Gellert Grindelwald and his takeover. We'll combine all of this knowledge to find a solution, a hole in Grindelwald's defenses. He's only human after all.

"I suggest before we do all this we take a break so that you all can mull over everything you know concerning this and any of your own personal abilities. Anything you think isn't helpful probably is, so bring it all to the surface," he was talking mostly to Ed at this point, who was, as was typical of his character, shrugging it off. "So go down, grab some food, and meet back in half an hour."

Everyone gladly left their seats and headed out of the room in search of some Butterbeer or Firewhiskey. After five minutes, only Albus and Edward remained in the room. Edward started to creep towards the door, but just as he was about to reach it, Albus commented, "So you've been to see Nicholas."

Ed flinched and turned around. "Just a couple times, you know, making friends. Perenelle's always happy to have me around for dinner. She knows the stove's typically cold at home."

"Does Alphonse know?"

Edward sighed. "No. I didn't have the heart to tell him."

"It's only going to end badly Edward. You'll become completely dependent – "

"I'm well aware what will happen, thank you very much, Albus. I've just…I've got to see her again. I've got to go there again. And I'm… well I'm not getting any younger, Albus."

"You're not getting any older either."

"Just because I'm using the Philosopher's Stone to stabilize my age right now doesn't mean that I'll attempt to extend my life beyond reason. I haven't made any progress in the past fifteen years. None at all. The gate is there, but it's not opening for me. I need the time to make it right Albus. Once I find my way back, I'll lay off the Elixir."

"When did you start?"

"Fifteen years ago. When she…died."

Albus looked down, uncomfortable now. He shouldn't have asked, as he already knew before Edward had even opened his mouth. Of course he had started drinking the Elixir of Life when his wife died. He had become a broken man then, a shell of his former cheerful self. Now he seemed a lot better, but it was still obviously a sore subject. Both stood in silence until the rest of the team filed back into the room, Renault holding a half-full tankard of mead, Minerva and Augusta clutching pints of Butterbeer and sneaking glances at the preoccupied Edward Elric. Albus sighed. Time for the meeting to truly begin.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! I feel like Edward's kind of out of character in this one, but that was sort of intentional and everything will be explained... eventually. But please leave a review, good or bad, I don't care!**


	4. Chapter 4: Love

**A/N: I'm really sorry it took me so long, guys! And this one's kind of short too... I'll hopefully get the next one out sooner. I have a good idea of what's coming next, and it will start to get interesting. But it will probably be kind of like this for a while; some present explanations with a bunch of flash backs. There'll be more present action in a while (I promise it's coming), but be prepared since I'll probably get a lot of the technical stuff out of the way before then.**

_Chapter 4: Love_

"Attention!" called Dumbledore. The only three in the room who were talking, Renault, Minerva, and Augusta, quickly quieted down. Albus tended to have that effect on people; he simply claimed their focus when he spoke. "We'll actually start now. All of you have skills or information that could potentially help us defeat Grindelwald. Now we just have to figure out what they are. This could be a bit difficult, since you probably won't immediately think of what will be useful. Now, I understand that a few of you will have an understanding of obscure branches of magic because of your occupations and pasts. I'd like to examine your knowledge first, since you might have an easier time coming up with something to contribute. I have a pensieve here, in case it's necessary to experience your memories." He gestured towards the stone basin on the table next to him. "Renault? Are you a willing first victim?"

"Sure, why not," replied the jovial black-haired man.

"All of you should write this down," Albus commanded. "You might catch something that the rest of us don't."

"Like that's ever going to happen," muttered Augusta to Minerva, who gave a little giggle, clearly agreeing at the futility of Dumbledore's suggestion.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, Augusta," Dumbledore responded to the comment that should have been far too quiet for him to hear. "As I've said, we all have a reason for being here. Renault, begin with your exploits in the Department of Mysteries."

"Right, sir. I've worked in several sections of the Department as an assistant, although I know the Ancient Magic section best. Most of the stuff we do is classified, but I'm guessing I'm allowed to tell, given the circumstances." He glanced over at Dumbledore, who confirmed the statement with a nod. "Ancient Magic is completely different from the stuff we do today. Most of our spells are based upon a purpose. In basic terms, we use magic to get things done. Back when the first witches and wizards were around, spells were based on intention. A spell was either good or evil, and it was either meant to help or harm.

"Ancient magic is some of the most powerful stuff I've ever seen. Our spells nowadays don't have real feeling behind them most of the time; the only Ancient Magic spells I know of that are still being continually used are evil ones. You all know them as the Unforgivable Curses." A collective shuddering passed over the room. Not only did the mention of the Unforgiveable Curses shake the people present, but the solemn manner of the typically bouncy Renault Potter unnerved them further.

"Any other Ancient Magic spells have been lost over the years. All documents on Ancient Magic that haven't been destroyed only give the basic theory, not the actual spells. The Ancient Magic section in the Department has been trying hard to find some Ancient Magic spells powered by good that will counter the Unforgiveables, and any other dark Ancient Magic. We have a theory… It's not proven at all. A lot of the people at the Department think that love is the key to good Ancient Magic as hate is the key to dark Ancient Magic. However, any attempts at spells fueled by love have failed. Perhaps our testers just don't love strongly enough, but we can't gauge something like that. In any case, it is evident that Grindelwald is using the Unforgiveable curses, if not something more involving Ancient Magic. If we can discover the good counter to the Unforgiveables, we might be able to gain the upper hand in this battle."

Renault settled back in his chair, his piece done. He seemed rather pleased with himself, that he had connected all of this and had been able to present it in a serious, orderly fashion.

"Thank you, Renault," Dumbledore said, pensively. He had already known most of what Renault had covered, although he hadn't known that Ancient Magic had been studied so extensively in the Department. It made for a relatively good start to what seemed completely pointless and impossible. However, if the Ministry did not make any progress soon on developing this branch of magic, it would be no help in the fight against Grindelwald. He looked up and found Edward staring at him, clearly thinking the same thing. He wondered if Edward would have enough love in him to perform a good Ancient Magic spell. He had certainly lost a lot, but still retained bonds across worlds. A love like his couldn't be found often enough.

_1925, Godric's Hollow_

Albus had kept his family's home, even after his brother had moved out. He stayed there during the summer and used it to conduct his research on various subjects. Right now, he was doing some brief experiments on the properties of dragon's blood and was getting some interesting results. However, once the boys moved in, everything changed.

Alphonse was open and talkative. He never said much about their past or where they came from, since his brother always gave him scathing looks when he started to give something away. However, he always felt free to share his feelings with Albus and seemed to find some common ground with him. He had a certain flair for the more hands-on types of magic, such as potions and herbology. Edward was good at these as well, but he seemed to be afraid of what the result might be when he finished whatever Albus had assigned them. Where Alphonse lacked, unfortunately, was power. He simply felt little drive behind using wand magic and preferred life without it anyways. This caused his spells to feel rushed or half-done because he lacked not only the skill, but the determination necessary to make them work. He openly loved and admired his brother; it seemed that his brother was the only thing in the world that truly mattered to him.

Edward seemed to be the opposite of his brother. He was a closed book most of the time, completely unwilling to even think of the past. He seemed hesitant when it came to his brother's strong suit, potions, perhaps because it reminded him of something painful. Edward was also extremely skeptical towards magic in general. He refused to accept certain concepts, like conjuring something out of thin air. However, despite his stubborn denial, he excelled in spell casting, and seemed to be nearly as powerful as Albus. He was often rude to his brother, and someone who didn't know them well might think that Edward hated Alphonse. This was completely untrue, as Albus soon discovered, for Edward truly loved Alphonse dearly.

Albus allowed Edward his silence, resolving to ask for their story at the end of the summer, if he hadn't already figured it out by then. The lessons had been going quite well, so far without incident, although Edward often seemed to have his mind somewhere else. He would look out the window, his golden eyes searching for something that only he could see.

**A/N: Hmmm... Not sure if I'm entirely happy with this one or not. Oh well! Please review and let me know what you think!**


	5. A Wish to Forget and a Need to Remember

**A/N: So, so sorry guys! I took a break from writing fanfiction for a while to focus on school, but now I'm back! Things are starting to come together a bit in this chapter in the past arc... Or at least more is happening. It kind of started taking on a life of its own while I was writing it, but it gave me some great ideas (better than what I had before!). And you can kind of get what the solution to get rid of Grindelwald is going to involve... Anyway, read on!**

_Chapter 5: A Wish to Forget and a Need to Remember_

_Diagon Alley, 1925_

Dumbledore had to run another errand in Diagon Alley and Ed had decided to come with him. He had needed a break from his brother's cheerful optimism; it was really getting on his nerves. And plus, being stuck in Dumbledore's Godric Hollow home was making him feel caged in, imprisoned. In short, he needed to get out.

After walking around for about an hour, he found himself wandering down toward the broom shop again. He wasn't really looking where he was going, absorbed in his consuming thoughts, when he ran into a decidedly warm and solid object.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" a light-hearted voice sang out as blond hair flew everywhere. Edward glanced up and his heart burst out of his chest. There she was again. Winry.

"Oh, it's you. The brother who has mental problems. Wait, you aren't actually disabled or anything are you? Because if you are, I am so, so sorry," her clear tone rang down like chimes and made Ed's ears vibrate and quiver.

"No, no, I'm sane. Well, at least, I think I am. Sorry about last time, I mistook you for someone else." He had finally gained his composure. It took him three weeks to do it.

"Haha, that's okay. You come around this shop often? Isn't this where I saw you last time?"

"Yeah, I think so. No, I don't. I was just wondering around actually, no real destination, that kind of thing."

"I was checking out if Jewkes had anything new, but I guess not," she smirked. "My dad and uncles are setting up a broom manufacturing company that's going to blow anything else in the market out of the water. So I go check out the competition all the time… Plus, I just love brooms and flying. The smell of broom polish in the morning… It's great!"

Edward grinned. Even though this wasn't actually Winry, they sure did have similar personalities. This one was obsessed with brooms, the other one was obsessed with automail.

"Umm… Sorry, what was your name again? Started with an E, didn't it? Anyway, I'm Winny Ollerton, if you forgot."

"It's Edward. Edward Elric."

"Well, Edward, would you like to go grab a Butterbeer with me? I don't get to chat with people my age much and… Wait, how old are you? For all I know, you could be 700 years old or something perverted like that. I'm 20."

"That would be so weird, I'm not 700!" Edward laughed. "I'm 20 too. I mean as well. I'm twenty as well." He was starting to ramble with excitement. "Sure, I'd love a drink."

_Later that day, Godric's Hollow_

"You weren't where we planned to meet," Albus admonished Edward as he attempted to sneak through the front door.

"Sorry, Albus, I got distracted and didn't realize the time."

"Mmmhhhmm," Albus smirked and watched Edward scramble awkwardly down the hall. He guessed Edward had found some young witch to hang out with. He hoped that having a friend would help Edward open up. He had no idea that it would lead to Edward's destruction.

_1945, The Leaky Cauldron_

"Minerva, I believe that you should go next," Albus stated with great solemnity. Minerva giggled (again) and looked at him wide-eyed.

"But there's nothing I could possibly contribute, Albus. I'm just a student really."

"What about your Animagus training?" Albus sighed, knowing that she merely wanted to brag about her prowess in transfiguration.

"Why, of course!" she replied in her loud, girly soprano. "I started training to be an Animagus last month, and it's great fun really. I'm the only one doing it right now. I have to study a lot on my own about potion making and transfiguration spells before I'm ministry ready to go through the actual procedure." Becoming an Animagus in those days was much less common, and the procedure was actually more strenuous than it is now. It required months of research and physical training. But Minerva only really cared about the glory at the time. At least, on the outside, she did.

"Well, that's brilliantly helpful," inputted a sarcastic tone. Everybody turned to see Mason looking relatively irritated at Minerva's shallowness. "Look, the rest of us are actually here to save people's lives. You and your friend there," he said as he gestured at Augusta, "clearly don't care about that or you'd be taking this a lot more seriously." Total silence pervaded the room as Minerva and Augusta stared down at their hands, ashamed.

"I…I've been reading a lot about types of potions. I don't know if this will be of any help, but what Renault said about love, it kind of reminded me… I was looking through some classified books allowed only to the people trying to be Animagi and I found this one with a section on love potions. I don't know what it was doing there, since it really didn't seem to have anything to do with what I was supposed to be studying, but a lot of the books at the Animagi training program library are like that. Anyway, it had a recipe for a love potion that I'd never heard of before, and believe me, I did my research on love potions while I was at Hogwarts." She shot Augusta a side glance accompanied by a little smirk. "But this one was different. It didn't create an illusion of love or infatuation like most of the others. It _amplified_ the love that was already there."

"Very good, Minerva, I do believe that will help us," Albus smiled at her, and she sighed with relief, glad to be redeemed. He was actually quite surprised by her information. Training Animagi were allowed access to books that most people couldn't see, but he hadn't imagined that something so important would be left there accidentally. A potion that amplified love…. This could be the solution. "Minerva, do you think you could find that potion in the book again?"

"I think so. I'm not allowed to take books out of the library, but I can copy it down or something."

"Great," Albus smiled widely at her and she grinned back. Edward shook his head and laughed sarcastically.

"What's so great about love anyway, Albus?" he said. "You're always preaching that love is the most powerful thing out there, but what use is it when it can't open a damn door?" He was clearly starting to get angry now. "Why won't the damn gate open? If love is the solution, why is it a goddamn failure when I fucking need it? Who's to say that it will do any better for you?"

The room went silent after Ed's shouts faded. Everybody except for Albus seemed disturbed by the blonde's behavior, since he had seemed like such a well-spoken man until now. Edward wasn't usually this angry, but he had suddenly felt the need to lash out at Dumbledore. He hadn't done that for about twenty years. Why did he feel the need now?

_1925, Godric's Hollow_

Edward divided his time equally between Godric's Hollow and Diagon Alley over the next month. He met with Winny practically every day and talked to her about whatever popped into his head. Of course, he didn't tell her his real story, but instead avoided his past altogether. He would tell her about living with Dumbledore and how sometimes he hated Albus's and his brother's guts because they were damn pacifists and didn't seem to _care_. But Winny cared. Ed hadn't met any other double from his old world who channeled their other self better. Ed was convinced that Winny was Winry, and he had fallen completely for her.

At home, in Godric's Hollow, Ed couldn't stand it anymore. He wanted to be with Winny all the time, but didn't feel comfortable bringing her home, worried that Dumbledore would understand and start asking him pointed unavoidable questions about his past.

One day in early August, Edward met with Winry again in The Leaky Cauldron. She was having a Firewhiskey and some pea soup.

"How can you eat that when it's so hot out?" Ed teased. It was probably one of the hottest days of the year.

"How can you _drink_ that when it's so hot out?" Winny asked playfully, pointing at his mug of Butterbeer, which Ed had become essentially addicted to during his time in the wizarding world. They laughed and kidded for the rest of the afternoon, but Ed could tell that something was slightly wrong with Winny. In between jokes, her face would crumple into a depressed frown. But he ignored it and headed home a couple of hours later for dinner.

After dinner that night, Edward headed up to his room, but had barely reached the top step when he heard a knock at the door. He ran down to get it, a suspicion developing in his gut. He opened the door to see a rain-soaked Winny, tears streaming down her face and mingling with the rain. She threw herself at Ed, giving him a strangling hug. He didn't know what to do, tried to back off for a second, then look down at her depressed visage. Lifting her chin, he pressed his lips to hers, putting all of his feeling into their first kiss. Then two words which would change his world forever spouted out of her tender mouth.

"I remember."

**A/N: Please review! It definitely won't take me as long to update as before, but it might be another week or two at the least. I will have you know, however, that this one will be at the top of my priority list (in terms of fanfiction). Oh, and please let me know if I said Winry in any places where I was supposed to say Winny. That was really confusing me...**


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